So Close
by TruMagick
Summary: When Dawn gives Faith a letter from Buffy she wasn’t meant to read, Buffy will do anything to get it back before she opens it! FB Chapter 3 Up! The End? Please R&R!
1. Chapter 1

So Close 

Summary: When Dawn gives Faith a letter from Buffy she wasn't meant to read, Buffy will do anything to get it back before she opens it! F/B

Rating: T

Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer and all characters and ideas related to the show are property of Joss Whedon and others. I own nothing, nada, zilch, zippo… you get the idea.

Chapter One 

_Dear Diary,_

_Buffy will say that it's all my fault. (I have the grounded time to prove it. Little sisters always get the blame, have you noticed that?) But in reality, it would have happened anyway, sooner or later. Fate would have made sure of that. I just helped Fate move things along a little – gave it a little push in the right direction. But do I get thanked for my efforts? Of course not! Sure it was more like an accident than an effort, but who's being particular? Anyway, she sure as hell owes me and as soon as my 'grounded till infinity' sentence is over, I'm going to collect._

_Let me tell you exactly what happened…_

"Dawn!" Buffy yelled from the top of the stairs, but it sounded more like a ferocious bellow from where Dawn was seated in front of the television in the living room

"What!" Dawn responded without so much as looking away from the glowing screen. She sat leaning against the armrest of the couch with her best friends Katie and Laurie seated with her for their Friday night movie-thon. The teen horror flick on the television cast eerie glows across their focused features as they watched the stupid high school students get massacred across the empty campus.

"Dawn?" Buffy asked again as she descended the stairway, hands on hips.

"What," was the noncommittal reply.

"Did you finish your list of chores?"

"I'm right on that, sis,"

"You might have to clarify, Dawnie because it appears as though your definition of 'right on that' includes being pasted to the television while mine doesn't," she spat at the younger girl.

"Don't worry, Buff, I'll get you a dictionary for your birthday this year so we can clear that right up,"

"Dawn…" Buffy said menacingly. "You know you need to get the dusting, the vacuuming, the laundry, and the dishes done before tomorrow. I suggest you get a move on it,"

"Of course, sis" Dawn said as she grabbed the feather duster that was laying on the end table and started dusting half-heartedly the lamp nearest her. "See? Multi-tasking,"

"I'll show you multi-tasking…" Buffy mumbled as she left the teenaged girls to their movie. "As I simultaneously kick vamp ass and yours."

Willow stood in the kitchen nursing a cup of warm tea in both her hands and staring out of the window.

"Buffy," she said. "Full-time superhero and part-time baby sitter."

"Very funny, Will," Buffy answered with a wry smile. "More like full-time babysitter – between Dawn, you, and Tara, I have my hands full."

"Hey," Willow pouted. "I am no baby and therefore need no sitting."

"Can we get a second opinion, baby?" a warm, innuendo-tinged voice called as Tara entered the room.

Willow was at a loss for words as her girlfriend wrapped her arms around her slender waist. Buffy just smiled at the two.

Then the phone rang.

Buffy moved to pick it up.

"I'll get that. Not like either of you were going to move anyway," she said with roll of her eyes. "Hello?"

"Hey B," called the voice across the line. Buffy cringed inwardly. She hated that voice. Hated that nickname. Hated that person. "Gotta sec?"

"What is it Faith?"

"Well, ya see, I was wondering if you could let me borrow the notes from the Scoob meeting today seeing as how I was catching up on some much needed Z's as the G-man was spitting off something or other about the Order of Whatchamacallit and the Ritual of Shumtingelse."

"You mean the Order of Wemkaluch and the Ritual of Shinsei?"

"Yeah that's the one, girlfriend! So what do ya say? Mind if I swing by yours and copy your homework?"

Buffy shrugged and sighed. She rolled her eyes and Willow and Tara could feel the irritation as it emanated from the Slayer.

"Sure, whatever," she said finally and a brief smile played on Willow's lips as she heard the exasperation in her friend's voice.

"Thanks a bunch, B. I owe ya big time and I promise to pay back with interest," Buffy could almost hear the suggestive eyebrow wriggling across the phone line. Then the line cut off as Faith hung-up the phone.

Slowly, Buffy put the receiver down.

"Why do you do that?" Willow asked, shaking her head.

"Do what?"

"Let her get to you like that,"

"I don't know, Will," Buffy said truthfully. "She's just so… infuriating. I can't stand her! I can always count on her to screw up and need my help. Or to ruin a perfectly perfect day. Or…"

"Easy, Buffy," Willow said trying to still the insults as they came pouring from Buffy's mouth.

"Just call her 'Ol' Reliable'"

"I thought I was 'Ol' Reliable'" Willow said with a mock pout.

"You were… but then you got laid. Now the only things I can count on you for are the headboard knocking and the screa…"

"Okay, okay, okay! I get it!"

"Sorry,"

"Hey, I heard once on an afternoon television show that if you really feel so strongly about someone that you should write down exactly how you feel in a letter to them," Tara chimed in.

"How is telling Faith that I think she's a waste of perfectly good space going to solve anything?"

"Well, that's the point. You tell her everything you've ever wanted to say, in all its gruesome glory, then you trash the letter. You never send it, she never gets it. But all that pent up frustration is out of your system, you see?"

"Tara, I think I love you," Buffy said.

"Hey," Willow countered seriously. "Wait in line,"

Buffy sat down at the desk in her bedroom and began to write.

_Dear Faith,_

_We haven't known each other for very long, but this letter has been coming for a long time. I know you must feel it. We're near each other at least everyday – sometimes two and three times a day. It has to have been radiating from me and you're a smart girl, sort of, so you must have picked up on it._

_I hate you._

_I can't stand you. I can't stand being around you._

_You waltz in here and think that you can just impose yourself on my life, but in reality, I know that you're just stealing my life because you hate yours. And you know what? I don't care about your life. I don't care about your sob story of a past. Write a book already or go on Oprah, but just deal with it and move on._

_I hate you so much it hurts me to think about you. I hate your carefree swagger and that shit-eating grin that you have. I hate the way you flash that grin at me whenever you know I'm looking. I hate your voice and the way you think that you're so damn hot – that deep, sensual tone you get whenever you're making one of your indecent suggestions. I hate it that you can freely invite me into your arms and I have to say no. I hate that no one has expectations for you, but they all funnel them to me. I hate the way you touch me lightly on the arm and I have to pretend I didn't feel it. I hate that we have to work together side-by-side and I never get to know you. I hate that I have to look at you everyday and I have to share the view with everyone else. I hate that no one can see you the way I do. I hate that I have to play the part and put up this façade and you can be yourself. I hate that slaying together makes us that much closer when all I want to do is run away. I hate that I never get the nerve to tell you what I really think about you._

_I love you._

_And I hate myself because I can't tell you the truth._

_I hate that I had to write all this down in a letter that you'll never see in order for me to realize it._

_I hate that tomorrow I'll have to go right back to hating you._

_But for tonight, for now, I can pretend._

_-Buffy_

The blonde Slayer folded the note and placed it in an envelope. She licked the seal and closed the flap and placed the letter on the pillow on her bed. She would dispose of it of course, but for now, just having it there made her feel better.

Then she searched her things for the Scooby notes from earlier that day and placed them in a large manila envelope.

"Buffy!"

She closed the clasp then set the envelope on the edge of her desk as she went to find out what the trouble was downstairs.

"Yeah? What's going on?"

"Xander just called," Willow said in a rush as she ran around the kitchen grabbing up her jacket and purse.

"And?"

"He's having a little demon trouble at his house,"

"Demon trouble…?"

"Spell gone wrong or something. Come on we have to go. He sounded pretty wigged, if you know what I mean,"

"Alright, let's go," Buffy said as she moved past Willow and Tara and threw the kitchen door open for them.

"Faith!" she thought aloud as she suddenly remembered that the dark Slayer was going to meet her at her house to pick up the notes. She ran from the kitchen into the living room where Dawn and her friends were holding tightly to each other and the blanket as the masked man on the television slaughtered yet another hopeless victim.

"Dawn!"

"Yuh-huh…"

"Dawn, listen to me very carefully. Faith is coming over right now and I need you to give her the envelope that's on the corner of my desk. You got that?"

"Yuh-huh,"

"Don't forget Dawn. We'll be right back," Buffy said as she raced to join Willow and Tara.

The kitchen door shut.

Moments later, a knock came from the front door.

"AH!" all three girls jumped in terror.

"Geez, guys, it's just the front door. Don't be so jumpy," Dawn explained. She got up to answer it while still managing to watch the television.

"Hey lil'D," Faith greeted. "Where's your sis, I…"

"Shh… Buffy's gone. Left an envelope…"

A faint glimmer of disappointment crossed the dark Slayer's face at the received information that Buffy had left. But she shrugged it off casually and continued,

"Gotta say Dawnie, your vocabulary repertoire is even less impressive than mine,"

Dawn stopped for a moment to admire the older girl's use of the word "repertoire"…

"Hang on, Faith, I'll get it,"

"No prob, D. Is this 'Night of the Living Dead Guy Part 32'? I love this flick," she said as she pulled up a chair and sat.

In Buffy's bedroom, Dawn saw the envelope on the bed and grabbed it, and then she zoomed down the stairs and handed it to Faith. Then she returned to her movie.

"Thanks Dawnie. I'll see you guys later, okay?"

"Yuh-huh," was, again, the noncommittal reply.

Folding the envelope and placing it in the back pocket of her black jeans, Faith left the Summers' house to study… or something like it.

"Dawnie, we're back," Buffy called from the kitchen door. She took off her jacket and headed for her bedroom shaking her head as she thought about poor Xander's predicament. But at least he was okay.

Dawn extricated herself from the couch and made her way into the kitchen for some post-movie snacks for herself and her friends. She had just piled a large plate full of goodies when she heard the high pitched, frantic scream from the direction of her sister's bedroom.

"Buffy!" Dawn dropped the plate, grabbed the nearest kitchen knife and a wooden stake that was hidden in the fruit bowl, and bounded up the stairs.

"Buffy! What is it?" she asked as she charged into the room, ready to defend the Slayer.

"Dawn…" Buffy said slowly, on the verge of a mental breakdown.

"What?"

"Did Faith come by the house tonight?"

"Well, yeah," Dawn replied wondering why the dark Slayer had gotten such a reaction of horror out of her sister.

"Did you give her the envelope I told you to?"

"Yeah, Buff, of course I did – just like you said," Dawn walked over to the edge of the bed and pointed. "The envelope that was lying right here…"

"Dawn," she said very slowly like she was talking to a child. "I told you to give her the one on the corner of my desk. Not the corner of my bed,"

"But I… oops."

"No, not 'oops'. More like 'oh shit, please, please oh generous Slayer don't kill me!'" Buffy lunged at her sister but Dawn escaped her death-dealing grasp just in time.

"Buffy! Buffy, wait!" Dawn pleaded as she was chased around the room by the infuriated Slayer.

A/N: Hey, thought I'd take a break from the serious romance/drama and so I wrote this funny fluffy piece! Hope you like it. Reviews appreciated and thrived upon.


	2. Chapter 2

So Close 

Summary: When Dawn gives Faith a letter from Buffy she wasn't meant to read, Buffy will do anything to get it back before she opens it! F/B

Rating: T

Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer and all characters and ideas related to the show are property of Joss Whedon and others. I own nothing, nada, zilch, zippo… you get the idea.

A/N: Wowzers… I never expected so many reviews in just 24 hours but Thank You to everyone who did review!I got 15 in a week! I'm glad this piece caught the attention of so many readers, I was a little reluctant to post it but now I'm glad I did. I'm also really surprised and grateful for the fact that so many of you found it funny… or at least amusing. Thanks for the constructive criticism, especially goose016, that's my favorite type of review. You guys are awesome! I always said the Buffy FFNet community was the best! Thanks, and keep those reviews coming, please!

**Chapter Two**

"Hey! Hey, what's going on in here?" Willow intervened as Dawn jumped into her arms for protection.

"Buffy's gone insane! She's trying to kill me!"

"Buffy?"

Buffy sailed down the stairs just after Dawn waving the other envelope in her hand.

"I ask you to do one thing! One thing!"

"Okay, Buffy, what happened?"

"This little twerp gave Faith the wrong envelope,"

"Well, that's not so bad just go and tell her that…"

"No, Will," Buffy said darkly. "The 'wrong' letter was inside."

Willow got the hint finally.

"Oh…" she said slowly. "Oh!"

"Yeah, 'oh!'"

"Wait a minute," Dawn said, finally, as she became confused amidst the multiple glances the two friends were sharing. "I don't get it. What was so important that was in this 'other' letter?"

"None of your business pipsqueak, but you are going to help me get it back!"

"What?"

"Okay so where would Faith have gone tonight?" Buffy asked as she paced the kitchen uncomfortably.

"Well, she thinks she has the notes so… to study maybe?"

Everyone looked at Tara. Then started laughing.

"Sorry, Tara, baby," Willow said. "It's just that Faith doesn't study much… or at all."

"Okay, then, Dawn and I will check everywhere that Faith is most likely to haunt and try and get that letter back. Tara and Willow can stay here just in case she stops by and by some chance she notices its not the notes and just gives it back,"

"Being a little hopeful aren't you, Buffy?"

"Just a little," she confessed. "Come on Dawn,"

"What about my friends,"

"Reschedule,"

"What about my movie?"

"Re-rent,"

"What about…"

"Your neck? I know some vampires that would just love to get their hands on something as young and fresh as…"

"Point taken,"

"I'm a very pointy individual,"

"Noticed,"

"Let's go,"

They were out of the door as soon as Dawn had promised to reschedule with her friends because of the 'emergency' that had arisen and the two had grabbed their coats.

"Now if I were a sluty, sultry Faith, were would I be?" Buffy mused aloud.

"A strip club?" Dawn piped. Buffy gave her a bewildered glance.

"Dawn?"

"Well, if I were a sluty, sultry… nevermind,"

"It's worth a shot,"

"It is?" Dawn asked but Buffy was already moving determinedly forward.

Meanwhile, Faith decided to actually do what she had planned to do for once and sit down and study. Well, almost. She promised to study right after she picked up her check from the bar. The Scoobs never asked her how exactly she paid for her motel so she never told them. Doubling as a bartender and a dancer paid the bills when your available hours were 2 am to 6 am. It was a respectable enough job. She liked to think of herself as the innocent entertainer… like that Nancy Callahan chick in that movie 'Sin City'.

She made her way over to the club.

Buffy and Dawn walked right up to the front door of the only club in Sunnydale that was worth going to. Just as she was about to put a foot over the threshold, a strong hand pushed her back.

"Hold it right there," said the huge, imposing bouncer. "Entertainment uses the back door, you should know that."

"Entertainment? Do I look like a stripper to you?"

He looked over her body appreciatively.

"Nevermind that," she said with a wave of her hand. "I need to get in there. A friend of mine is in there,"

"No girlfriends allowed," he explained. "Plus this is a gentleman's club only. Can't you read," he pointed to the sign above the door. Buffy contemplated just breaking his arm and going in, but the massive number of witnesses around her forced her to change her mind.

She and Dawn walked a little ways away and stopped across the street.

"What are we going to do Buffy?"

"I need to get in there," then she saw it. The back entrance where the night's entertainment was being inspected and allowed entrance. She started moving toward them.

"Buffy?" Dawn called worriedly.

"I'll be right back," Buffy assured her. "I'm just going to look around. If she's not in there, then I'll leave. Wait here for me,"

"Buffy, I'm not going to stay here!"

"Well, you can't come with me…"

"Oh yes I can"

"Fine, but… act like an adult,"

Unzipping her red hoodie jacket and leaving it inside a tire that laid on its side by a Dumpster, Buffy left on her tight, black tank top and was glad she had chosen her matching black curve-hugging pants.

Dawn was still in her school outfit, which Buffy considered, looked far more applicable for this situation than any educational setting. Her fitted collar-bone barring top bared just the slighted bit of midriff to keep the boys guessing.

"That's it for tonight girls," said the bouncer at the door. "Everyone else go home,"

Then his eyes fell on Buffy as she sauntered suggestively over to him, her hips easily falling into a comfortable cadence and Dawn at her side with her smoky gaze and alluring, full lips.

"Except you two… go right on in," they smiled at him as he reopened the door to admit them. They disappeared into the darkened room.

"That was easier than I thought,"

"Yeah," Buffy agreed. "Now hurry up and look for Faith,"

"Hey, you two!" someone called.

"Huh? Us?"

"No, Santa Clause and Rudolph behind you! Of course you two, dumb broads. You're up next,"

"What?"

"Hurry up and get up there," he pushed them up to the stage in the wings ignoring their protests.

"But…"

But the spotlights were already trained on them. All eyes were anticipating their every move. The music was already playing…

Don't cha wish your girlfriend was hot like me?  
Don't cha wish your girlfriend was a freak like me?

"Buffy…" Dawn whimpered.

"Just… I don't know, do something!"

_Don't cha wish your girlfriend was raw like me?  
Don't cha wish your girlfriend was fun like me?_

Awkwardly at first, the two sisters moved on the stage to the hoots and hollering of the male audience below them. Then a man in a wide rimmed hat put a five-dollar bill down Dawn's shirt.

"Hey!" Buffy yelled but then stopped herself as a twenty got slipped into the waistband of her pants. "Uh… thanks, I think,"

Then she got bolder. She gave the men what they wanted – a taste of what each one was missing out on when he went home. As the catcalls grew in intensity so did Buffy's courage. The music swept her up on its enticing tendrils and carried her languid body across the stage. She licked her lips and flipped her hair as the money in her clothing began spilling out of her top.

Then she saw her. Faith. She was talking to the manager in a corner and he handed her an envelope full of cash.

"Thanks, Rick," she said. "I'll see ya next week then,"

"Oh shit," Buffy said as the brunette turned around and headed back out of the door. Faith carelessly glanced at the stage but couldn't see much as all the big testosterone filled bodies flooded the area and blocked her view.

"Whoa, easy tigers…" she mumbled to herself.

She caught a blur of blonde and felt a familiar tingle down her spine.

"Buffy?" she called as she tried to get a closer look.

But the two entertainers were gone. The crowd cheered and howled for more as Faith shrugged her shoulders and exited the building.

"Yeah, right, Faith," she told herself. "You saw Buffy in a club. Please! That will be the day! Now I really gotta get down to the studying. Buffy will be so pissed if I flake out again on the work part of the Slaying gig."

Back in the alley, Buffy gathered her jacket and she and Dawn fled the scene.

"Okay, that was a bust!" Dawn complained.

"We'll just have to head her off again,"

"A bust… but a hell a lot of fun!"

"Shut up…"

"What?"

"Okay, if I were a very tired Slayer who just got off of work at a strip club, where would I go?"

"Home?"

"Dawn you're brilliant!"

"I am? No, wait. I am," she agreed.

"Only, I don't remember which room Faith was in last time I visited her,"

"I think it was 216,"

"Yeah, that sounds about right. Well let's go see if we can steal that envelope back,"

At the trashy motel, Buffy and Dawn contemplated just asking the manager where Faith was staying but thought better of it when they actually saw him. He sat on a torn recliner in the office gorging himself on Cheetos and beer with a shotgun leaning menacingly against the desk.

"I didn't know Sunnydale had a Hillbillies lot,"

"Come on, Dawn, let's just go check out the room,"

Quietly, the duo made their way over to the room with the big, crooked numbers 216 on the front of the door. A small, rectangular window sat at the top, above the door.

"Here, Dawn, I'll lift you up and you make sure it's Faith's room,"

"Why me?"

"Uh… Slayer strength here,"

"Oh yeah…" Buffy laced her fingers together and presented them as a platform for Dawn to step up on. "Geez, Dawn, no more Ho Ho's before bed!"

"Are you calling me fat?"

"Shh! Be quiet and just look,"

Dawn resolved to trade weight remarks with her sister later and looked through the darkened window.

"Oh, I see something,"

"Well? What is it? Does she have the letter?"

"It looks like… oh," sheets writhed and rippled in the moonlight as Dawn peered into the room. A hand. A foot. The sheets heaved and rolled with the bodies underneath.

"Oh? It looks like 'oh'?"

"Oh, dear…"

"What? What? Is she reading it?"

"No…"

"Hey! Hey you kids! What the hell do you think this is?" the manager yelled as he ran over towards them. "This is a respectable establishment. You think you can just get a free show? People pay good money for that!"

"Buffy, down, now!" Buffy nearly dropped her sister as the burly man hurtled towards them.

"Run Dawn!"

Finally, the manager gave up the chase. His tired, Cheeto filled ass slowed to a halt a few yards away from the scene.

"Oh my God… Buffy," Dawn said in ragged breaths.

"Well?" Buffy wasn't even breathing hard.

"That was so very much _not_ Faith…"

"What? Then who…"

"I don't know but… oh Gods… somebody take out my eyes!"

"What did you see?"

"What didn't I see? Gods, if I wanted to see _that_…I mean, that's what the Internet is for!"

"Dawn," Buffy asked giving her a skeptical glare. "What's the Internet for?"

"Uh… nevermind," Dawn covered quickly. "The point is, _that_ was not Faith and my virgin eyes never, ever want to see _that_ again."

"Damn it. We're still no closer to getting that letter from Faith! I give up! We'll never find her!"

"Uh, Buffy?"

"What?"

"Why haven't we checked the Bronze, yet?"

"The Bronze?"

A/N: Sorry for the Pussycat Dolls song. But, come on, is there anything else that just screams 'strip scene theme song'? I think not! Anyway, only one more chapter to go! Will Buffy get the letter in time? Reviews loved, cherished, and needed…


	3. Chapter 3

So Close 

Summary: When Dawn gives Faith a letter from Buffy she wasn't meant to read, Buffy will do anything to get it back before she opens it! F/B

Rating: T

Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer and all characters and ideas related to the show are property of Joss Whedon and others. I own nothing, nada, zilch, zippo… you get the idea.

A/N: Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed! If you guys like this chapter then I might be persuaded to write a sequel or at least an epilogue…

Apparently people liked the Strip Club scene… hehe… I can't imagine why...

Thanks again and please review this chapter! I hope you love it!

Chapter Three 

Meanwhile, Faith decided to sit down and study. She really did. But then this vampire interrupted her and she had to spend the last ten minutes dusting him and his friends. Geez, people can't even find some quality peace and quiet to study in a cemetery anymore! Then she got anxious, with the adrenaline pulsating through her veins and the heat spreading through her limbs. Then she was itching for some action. The Bronze seemed like a likely spot to blow off some steam. So she gathered her jacket and left in search of a guy to get rid of her post-slayage hornies. And maybe grab a bite to eat on the way.

Buffy and Dawn waited in the loft section of the Bronze watching its patrons mill about the place and dance to the music. Dawn sipped a smoothie while Buffy waited and watched anxiously. This was her last resort and she was hoping that some deity in the universe thought that repeated saving of the world equated just a little slack. Just a little. Just this once.

Then she saw her. The dark Slayer had claimed the dance floor as her own territory and she prowled the area calling all available, and some unavailable, males to her. Her hips rolled with the hard metallic sounds of the band and her hair flowed down and over her ample breast and her shapely shoulders. She was a predator; Buffy could see that from her place perched high above the crowd. And she couldn't take her eyes off the younger girl. She followed every move she made with her eyes and wished silently that she were on the floor with the others to bask in the Southie Slayer's presence.

"Buffy? Buffy…" Dawn called and awoke Buffy from her reverie. "Look. Faith is down there, I told you,"

"Huh? Oh, yeah… she is," Buffy feigned ignorance to escape incrimination.

"And look! The letter is still in her pocket! I'll bet she hasn't even taken it out yet!"

"I hope you're right…"

Under the spotlights and the strobelights, Faith danced with abandon. She let herself lose and surrendered control to the music around her. Every rhythmic beat matched her pulsating heart as she found herself wrapped in the seduction of the Bronze. People danced all around her. Bodies crushed together and filled the air with a thick, musty scent, and yet, she was all alone. This dance floor was hers alone. This dance was hers alone. This song was hers alone.

Then it was theirs…

The music changed tempo and transformed into the song she and Buffy had danced to the night they had been arrested. The night Faith had shared her world with Buffy and Buffy had accepted the tour.

'Chinese Burn.'

Our song.

Buffy had surreptitiously integrated herself within the crowd of people surrounding Faith. She danced to the music but her eyes were trained on the other Slayers backside. Because the letter was there… in the pocket… the back… pocket… thus the backside… viewage… nevermind.

She ducked down and reached her hand towards the protruding letter as she heard the music morph into their song.

Our song.

She slipped suddenly as her resolve wavered and her attention faltered and a manicured hand lightly grazed across Faith's tightly encased rear.

"What the…?" Faith asked suddenly and furiously as she pushed the man behind her hard. He tumbled backward, taken by surprise at the incredible amount of strength the girl had hit him with. "What the fuck? You think you can just grab whatever you want? This ain't no lap dance pal, and do I look like a stripper to you? Get some fucking decency, perv. "

She left the Bronze in a hurry and stepped into the cool night air. She let it wash over her and calm her tingling nerves. She needed a fight. She needed a screw. But most of all… she needed something to munch on and a cappuccino.

If Buffy ever found out I like such a wimpy, foamy drink… but she won't. Not like we'll ever go out for coffee or anything… we're not like that. And we'll never be…

She determinedly made her way over to the Espresso Pump to get that coffee and do her homework.

Buffy flew out of the Bronze in search of her dark-haired quarry. Dawn followed slightly behind.

"You didn't get it? Where is she Buffy?"

"I… I don't know," Buffy stopped her futile pursuit in the darkened alley and hung her head. "Damn it," she said softly. "She's going to hate me. I don't know if I can take that. The world comes crashing down on my head everyday… but if Faith leaves… I don't think I can stand it,"

"What? What was in that letter Buffy?"

"Everything…" she trailed off, lost in thought. "Come on Dawn. Forget it. Fate has determined to torture me in every imaginable way possible. But I was so close…"

"Come on, Buff. Let's grab some coffee and head home,"

"Yeah, I guess you're right,"

At the Espresso Pump, Faith unfolded the envelope from Buffy and flattened it across the table in front of her. She took a sip of her cappuccino and a bite from her muffin and was startled to find that the notes she asked for were in the form of a letter… a letter addressed to her.

Buffy and Dawn sat in a booth and slowly sipped their drinks. Buffy's macchiato was getting cold and she stared emptily at the table before her.

"It's not so bad, Buffy," Dawn attempted. "It's not like the world is ending... yet. That's something, right?"

But Buffy couldn't answer her.

Four tables to the left of their own, Faith sat on a stool and her eyes finished reading the last lines of the letter. She swallowed hard and calmed her nerves before tears threatened to fall. Then she turned around, determined to go to Buffy's house and wake her up and wave this letter under at her and scream and yell… but then, she saw her. Buffy, sitting at a booth not twenty feet from her, saved her the trouble of walking in the dark and cooling off before she got to her house. Now, all the emotions coursing through her veins could explode here and now…

She walked over, meaningfully and slammed the paper on the table in front of the blonde girl. She kept her powerful hand flat across the letter and Dawn and Buffy followed the arm to the face that was connected to it.

"Faith…" Dawn squealed.

"What the fuck is this?" Faith asked loud enough to turn the heads of all of the coffeehouse's late night patrons. She was furious and she didn't care who knew it. Buffy looked down, away from the other girl.

"Faith…"

"No, don't look away from me," Faith told her as she caught Buffy's chin between her thumb and index and turned her towards herself. "Tell me now, Buffy. Tell me what you couldn't say before because you were too damn scared. Tell me what I had to find out by reading a damn letter that I wasn't even supposed to see. Say it, Buffy. Say everything. Anything," Buffy chanced a glance at her sister but Faith pulled her attention back to where it belonged.

"No, don't look at Dawn. I want you. I want you to tell me what you couldn't say before," she challenged.

Tears threatened Buffy's eyes but she blinked them back.

"That you hate me?" Faith offered, a little more softly this time.

"That… I love you," Buffy managed.

"That was all I needed to hear, girlfriend," Faith assured her as she lowered her face and caught Buffy in a searing, heart-wrenching kiss that dropped every jaw in the place.

It was soft and rough at the same time, as they mashed their mouths and lips and tongues together hungrily. It was awkward and new but so right and familiar at the same time. The way Faith smelled vaguely of espresso and cinnamon. The way Buffy tasted like vanilla and something sweeter. It was everything a first kiss for two people should be. A perfect blend of right and wrong. Light and Dark. Buffy and Faith.

Like they belonged together.

Reluctantly, Faith let her go and looked deep into her crystalline eyes.

They were so close, Buffy could feel the other's breath curling at her lips and she wanted desperately to kiss her once again.

"Uh… Buffy?" Dawn interrupted. "Does this mean you're not going to kill me?"

"Yuh-huh…" Buffy said, dreamy eyed, as her gaze never left Faith's. "But you're grounded till infinity…"

"What?"

Then she couldn't stand it any longer. She reached up and pulled Faith down for another, less chaste, kiss. And another. And another.

"Uh… guys? Guys?"

_So anyway, as you can see for yourself, I am the one who they should be thanking and bestowing gifts upon, not grounding! My efforts have been completely unappreciated. But, anyway, you're probably wondering what happened to my sister and Faith, right? Well, I have no clue but if they ever come out of the bedroom, I'll be sure to let you know! Just kidding… sort of. I feel a happily ever after coming on though…_

A/N: Romantic enough? Like I said before, if y'all liked it please review and maybe I'll write a sequel or an epilogue… Aww… Faithy!


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